Too Good To Be True Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I love a good soup night. In winter especially, I think I make soup once a week at least. One: it’s great for make-ahead meals and literally only gets better with time. Two: I can whip it up with mostly pantry staples and just a few fresh items from Hy-Vee which means no grocery store runs for me. Three: because I am not cooking for an army, but most soup recipes feed a small battalion, I can put leftovers in the freezer and have a great meal LATER too.

Okay, so enough about my love affair with soup; on to today’s recipe. When I read this in the Skinnytaste cookbook, I did not really think it was going to work for me (sorry Gina, I know retract that feeling). When I read that you could have a baked potato soup with bacon, cheese, and sour cream, and it only cost you 200 calories (toppings included) I was incredulous. I was doubly doubtful when I read that it used only two potatoes and a secret ingredient: cauliflower. Don’t abort this recipe yet, guys. I was doubtful too. But seriously, I could not tell the difference in flavor. All it did was make the soup a creamy, slightly airier consistency. Seriously, I didn’t think this would work, but it totally does. The soup has just enough potato that it still tastes like potato, but it’s just less heavy while eating it. Go try this- now!!!

Too Good To Be True Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

Soup

2 Russet potatoes

1 small-medium head cauliflower, broken into floretts

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons chives/green onion

1/2 cup sour cream

Toppings

Cheddar cheese

Crumbled bacon bits

Additional chives/green onion

Steps:

Prick potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes, flip, and microwave another 3-5 until cooked through. Remove and let cool. Peel the potatoes and break into pieces when cooled off.

Fill your soup pot with water and bring to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook 5-6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.

Empty the book, return to stove, and place over medium heat. Add potatoes, cauliflower, milk, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Blend together using an immersion blender. If you don’t have that fabulous tool, puree in a blender in batches and add back to the pot.

Add the sour cream and chives, stir to combine.

Cook over low heat 8-10 minutes (or until thickened) and serve with toppings!